Leslie Lavern Buhr

Leslie “Les” Lavern Buhr, age 67 of New Hampton, IA, died Thursday, March 27, 2025, surrounded by family. Although unspoken, family was certain his words were, “See you when I see you”.

Les was born September 28, 1957, in Sumner, Iowa, the son of Kenneth and Helen (Mettlin) Buhr. Growing up, Les attended Sumner Community Schools, and completed his GED. He also attended Hawkeye Community College for the Welding program.

Always wanting something more for himself, Les moved to New Hampshire and established his own construction business where he also employed his brother, Jim. After some time, Les decided to move to Florida where he resided for 36 years working construction building high-end homes in the Florida Keys. Les was meticulous in his craft and took great pride in ensuring each job was done to perfection. In more recent years, he ran his own construction business, L.B. Construction in New Hampton, IA.

Les began to really miss having connections with his family, so he decided to move back to Iowa in 2012. Shortly after returning to Iowa, he met Carol Gratz, whom he married on June 21, 2014, at the Little Brown Church in Nashua. Les always longed for his own family and that longtime dream became a reality with his marriage to Carol. Les became a dotting grandpa and the smiles on his face were endless when he had those children in his arms or on his lap. He spared no effort when it came to the grandkids whether it be little camping trips in the backyard, fishing trips, or kayaking. He even indulged them through various family pets (i.e., chickens, guinea pigs, puppies)—he just couldn’t resist their desire for a pet. Although the interest of the little ones in those animals was short-lived at times, Les never said no to the next pet idea. He wanted so much to give those kids everything and to allow them to have memorable experiences.

Les enjoyed spending time with his brothers hunting and fishing. He loved the outdoors and would always be up for an outing no matter the weather. He seemed to have a lot of luck show up at the end of his pole — always reeling in some sizable fish which made for great pictures. He was a bit competitive, and you could just look at him and know he was seriously calculating in his mind a plan to outwit his brothers.

In addition to hunting and fishing, Les enjoyed doing various home improvement projects at their home and especially loved wrapping it all up in beautiful flower gardens. He and Carol would spend plenty of time weeding to ensure everything always looked top-notched—Les never did anything halfway—he always wanted everything to look fabulous.

Les’s quick-wit and humor in describing many experiences will be greatly missed. He was loving, intelligent, hard-working, and above all, devoted to his family.

He is survived by his wife Carol, step-children Phil Eichenberger, Sarah Eichenberger, and Kristofer Gratz; siblings: Laurie (Jerry) Miller, Jerry (Cathy) Buhr, James Buhr, Janet Hackman, Scott (Connie) Buhr, Gary Buhr, and Dawn (Randy Grimm) Buhr, Grandchildren: Joey, Nicholas, Hannah, Lily, Lexis, and Rylee; Great Grandchildren: Thomas, Glenda, and Willow along with many nieces and nephews. His faithful fury companion, Mya, will miss his hugs and outdoor adventures. He was preceded in death by his parents, grandparents, brothers-in-law John Culbertson and Kenny Hackman, nephews, Dustin and Calum, and aunts and uncles.

A private family memorial and celebration of life service will be held at 11AM, Friday, March 28, 2025, at Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory, New Hampton, IA.